Take It All
by Leigh Adams15
Summary: Percy doesn't know what he wants.  Lavender does, though.


**Title**: Take It All (1/1)  
**Author**: Leigh Adams  
**Characters**: Percy Weasley/Lavender Brown  
**Rating**: PG-13  
**Word Count**: 2,806  
**Summary**: Percy doesn't know what he wants. Lavender does, though.  
**Author's Notes**: Written as part of my April Drabble Meme. Tani requested Percy/Lavender with the song Take It All (from the movie _Nine_) as the prompt request. This is probably not what she was expecting, but with me, you should always expect the unexpected (or the predictable, take your pick).

* * *

Apologies were not something that Percy Weasley, Junior Undersecretary to the Minister of Magic, doled out often, if ever. In fact, the only two people he ever actively said "I'm sorry" to were his mother and his sister- and that was a matter of self-preservation rather than any true sense of remorse for whatever he'd done to set them off. Along with the infamous Weasley temper came the Weasley pride, and it was pride and pride alone that had stalled this rendezvous as long as he had.

However, a week's worth of lonely nights would prompt even the most stubborn of men to action. And so it was that, bouquet of flowers clutched in hand and his head held high, Percy rapped smartly on the worn wooden door, smoothing his hair down behind his ears after he'd done so.

When no one responded, he knocked again. She was doing this on purpose, wasn't she? Merlin, this was _so_ like her. "Lavender, I know you're in there," he said to the door. "Would you please open up?"

Neither the door nor the person on the other side of it responded.

Percy gave an exasperated sigh and knocked again. "Merlin, Lavender, would you at least _talk_ to me? You're not a work, you don't work until mid-"

The rest of the word died on his lips when the door flew open, revealing the irate blonde he'd come to see. "What do you want, Percy?"

Normally articulate, the very sight of Lavender had always reduced his impressive vocabulary to monosyllabic sounds and nonsensical grunts. "I…uh… these are for you," he said, thrusting the bouquet towards her.

She raised one fine blonde brow at him and crossed her skinny arms over her thin tank top. "I don't want your flowers."

"Lavender, _please_," he said pleadingly. "Just let me in so we can talk." His gaze cut to the sides, sweeping the hallway for any of her neighbors who might be passing by. He wanted- _needed_- to talk to her, but he didn't want that conversation to take place in hearing range of any extra parties.

Giving him a _look_- she knew _exactly_ why he didn't want to have a conversation take place in the hallway- she grabbed his elbow and yanked him into the tiny flat.

_You want my love,  
take it all.  
You want to watch it all come off,  
take it all._

_Come on now,  
show me how  
you can take it all._

Percy stumbled across the threshold and into the tiny studio- a flat so small that it would fit inside his bedroom. What should have been a dark, depressing space- it _was_ located over Knockturn Alley, after all- she had spruced into a bright and cheery nest. Lavender had never been afraid of using color; appropriate, considering her name was a color, and it showed in every nook and cranny of the room.

"Please, Lavender," he said, holding out the flowers to her once more, "just talk to me."

Lavender glared at him for a long moment, but finally reached out to grab the bouquet of irises and sunflowers from him. He'd gotten her her favorite flowers; something she was most likely cursing internally at him for.

"What is there to talk about, Percy?" she asked, worn cotton skirt flowing around and showcasing her long, shapely legs to advantage as she whirled about and stalked towards the corner of the room that served as her kitchen. She filled a small vase full of water and stuck the bouquet inside before setting it down on the counter.

"To begin with, why have you been ignoring me for the past week?" he asked. While her back was turned, he pulled out his wand and muttered a quick _Scourgify_ at her ratty sofa before he took a seat, back straight as a board as he smoothed out his robes over his knees.

"Just now noticing that something was missing, aren't you?" she asked icily. Crossing to him, she handed him a glass of pumpkin juice and settled down on her bed, legs tucked beneath her.

He dragged his focus from the smooth skin of her exposed thigh to her face. "Of course I noticed, Lavender," he said incredulously. He went to take a sip of his juice, but stopped when a few cloudy smudges about the rim caught his eye. Lowering his glass, he used the sleeve of his robe to wipe them away. _Much better_.

"You noticed because there was no one there to suck you off at night," she shot back hotly.

Percy's nose crinkled at her coarse language; it was one thing about her that always rubbed him the wrong way. For all her delicate blonde looks and artsy disposition, she cursed like a drunken sailor. "That's not fair," he protested.

_You want my glove,  
are you enthralled?  
You want to see it slip away  
and watch it fall?_

_Oh, we know it´s your show  
so take it all._

"Oh, it's not?" Lavender asked snippily. "We both know why you're here, Percy. Might as well come over here and get this over with." Setting her glass down on the wooden floor, she laid back on the bed and turned her head to the side, glancing over at him through her sooty blonde lashes. Back arched as it was, her petite breasts pressed against her thin tank top. Percy's darkening gaze could see her nipples, hardened peaks beneath worn cotton- a present reminder of the fact that Lavender rarely wore anything beneath her clothes.

Percy's tone was strangled as he ground out her name and a hoarse, "_No_," though he wanted nothing more than to cross the room to her and run his hands all over that smooth, white skin. "Stop it, Lavender."

"I don't think I will," she replied. Her hands slid down to her skirt, little fingers fisting in the material as she tugged the hem higher and higher. Inch by inch, she exposed her legs to his wandering gaze, stopping when she was _just_ shy of the juncture between her thighs.

Heading off temptation at the pass, Percy rose and strode the few steps across to her. His hands were heavy against hers as he stopped her from showing any more of her luscious body to his eyes, and though his palms practically _itched_ to slide underneath the material, he willed himself to stay in control.

"_Stop_," he growled, brown eyes almost black as he looked down at her.

"No," she whispered, gaze dropping to his hands before back up to his desire-laden gaze. Surging upwards, she pressed her lips against his. Long, thin arms wrapped around his neck, holding him to her as his lips opened beneath hers, their tongues dueling against each other as Percy's hands slid down to cup her arse.

Merlin, she felt so soft and _so_ good in his hands. The feeling of her soft arse beneath his hand brought to mind the week of loneliness he'd suffered through without her, and his fingers kneaded at the delectable roundness at his disposal. "_Merlin_."

"S'not my name," she murmured, biting at his lower lip in retaliation. "And it isn't Audrey, either."

_You want the movement__  
to see what the hips can do.  
Come watch the slinky girl,  
see how the pasties twirl  
to make your bells all ring  
fulfilling everything you ever wanted._

_So go ahead,  
take it all.  
You want my soul,  
take it all._

Percy pulled back, his lower lip throbbing from where she'd sunk her teeth into the tender flesh. "What- what are you talking about?"

In an instant, Lavender's face went from soft and dreamy to hard and stormy. Her hands pushed at him, and she said, "Don't play thick, Percy. I'd have thought someone like Ron would try and weasel his way out of it, but not you. I thought you were smarter than that."

Scooting back on the mattress, she wrapped her arms around her knees. "Did you really think I didn't know about her? Audrey Fawcett? You'd have to be fucking daft to think I wouldn't find out!"

_Oh, Merlin_. This was worse than he'd thought. Raising a hand to place on her knee, Percy said, "Lavender, I…"

"Don't you dare touch me, you self-righteous fucking prick," she hissed, and Percy was astonished to see the welling of tears in her eyes. "You took that daft cow to the Oxo Tower on Friday night, where my _best friend_ works, and on the same night as my show!"

He could tell that the apology he'd been meaning to give- a simple 'I'm sorry' for missing her art show- was not going to be adequate to get him out of this spot of trouble. How could he tell her, though? "Lavender, I need you to listen to me for a moment, alright? Please, listen and _don't_ try and rip my head off."

"I'd rather rip your cock off right now," she growled.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"You're right," Lavender replied, her tone hostile. "I'm sure little Miss Prim and Proper would be _quite_ put out if I unmanned you permanently."

"_Lavender_." His tone was enough to make her fall silent, which gave him a moment to comprise his thoughts. "I came over here to apologize for missing your show on Friday night. I inadvertently overscheduled myself for that evening-"

"Because you were with _her_!"

Percy's ears were tinged red with irritation. "You're supposed to be listening."

"I'm listening. I'm also adding in the facts that your little rose-colored story is leaving out," she rebutted.

He ignored that and continued with his little speech. "I was at dinner with Audrey Friday night, and I apologize for not telling you about her earlier." He deliberately ignored the pang that he felt in his chest when her expression visibly deflated at his words, and he could practically see the cogs turning in her mind as she processed his words.  
"Audrey and I have been out a few times recently," he continued.

"When?" Lavender asked- nay, demanded.

"When? What does it matter…"

"It _matters_," she hissed. "Tell me when you were out with her."

This could only lead to more trouble, but Percy said, "We went out for the first time last month, to the Ministry gala. Then dinner the week after that, the Minister's fundraiser at St. James' Park that weekend, luncheon with the Senior Undersecretary last week, and then dinner on Friday night." Even as he spoke, he _prayed_ that she wouldn't do the math and figure out…

"All those nights, you came to my bed," Lavender said, her voice soft.

_It´s time to leave,  
if I´m to live  
because I have no more,  
there´s nothing left to give._

_I watch you rise,  
I watch you fall  
while I am standing with my back  
against the wall._

_Bugger_. "Lavender, listen, I-"

"How long have we been lovers, Percy?"

The question caught Percy by surprise, and he had to think for a moment before he could answer. "Eleven months," he answered precisely.

"That's right," she whispered. "We've been together eleven months, and not _once_ in all that time have you _ever_ taken me out with you."

"That's not true," he protested. "We go to dinner all the time."

"Only on nights when you've nothing else pressing, and we _always_ go Muggleside for our 'dates,'" she reminded him. "You've never taken me to a Ministry function before. Why?"

And this was what he'd been dreading. He'd known that it was only a matter of time before she would start asking questions, but he'd been lucky for nearly a year. He should have known that his luck was going to run out sooner rather than later. "Be-be-because," he stuttered, "Ron…"

Lavender gave an incredulous laugh. "Ron? Seriously? Ron and I have been broken up for nearly ten years, Percy. He's married, remember, and I honestly doubt he gives a flying fuck about your love life." After a moment, a look of comprehension dawned, and she looked up at Percy with wide blue eyes.

"You're ashamed of me, aren't you?"

"Lavender, don't be ridiculous," he said patronizingly. "Why would I be ashamed of you?"

"Well, maybe not _ashamed_," she said, "but I'm not good enough to be seen with you in public. Eleven months, Percy, and you have _never_ taken me anywhere where we might be recognized. And why?"

"You're making something out of nothing," Percy replied, though his tone belied his underlying nerves. She was dangerously close to hitting the nail on the head, and he'd really rather his motives behind their relationship go unscrutinized.

"Am I?" she asked, a lone tear trickling down her pale cheek. "You don't want to be seen with me in public, Percy, because I'm not a 'proper' political partner. You want someone who's equal to you, good enough to be on your arm when the press is around. And Merlin knows, a fortune-telling bartender who has two knuts to her name isn't worthy to be in the same room as the man who might be the youngest Minister of Magic in history. I'm good enough to fuck, but not good enough to date." By this point, she was openly crying; fat, crystalline teardrops trickled down her cheeks and made her blue eyes shine like topaz.

"Please, Lavender, don't cry," he pleaded, reaching out to brush the tears off of her face. Miraculously, she let him comfort her, though it made his heart hurt when she closed her eyes to ward off the sight of him. "It tears me apart to see you cry."

_Now it´s your turn to finally learn,  
you had the world,  
you had your fling,  
you wanted more than everything,  
you got your wish,  
you got your prize._

_Now take it right between your thighs,  
you grabbed for everything, my friend,  
but don´t you see that in the end  
there will be nothing left of me!_

"Stop, Percy," she whispered raggedly as she reached out to brush his hand away. "Just go, please."

"No. Just let me explain…"

"You've already said enough." Lavender jammed the heels of her hands into her eyes, furiously rubbing the tears away. "I gave you _everything_, Percy. I _love_ you, but that's never going to be enough, is it?"

"Lavender," he said softly, "I lov-"

"Don't say it!" she cried, shaking her head. "Don't you _dare_. We could have been happy together. We _were_ happy together." Despite her best efforts to the contrary, the tears continued to fall, making her cheeks shine brightly. "Why wasn't I enough for you?"  
"We can still be happy together," he murmured. "Please, Lavender, give me another chance." He could- he _would_- do right by her. And even though he'd done an awful job of showing it, he did care about her.

She shook her head. "No," she said softly. "I'm done. I've cried enough tears over you, Percy Weasley, and I won't do it anymore. You can have your perfect society wife and your powerful political career. I hope you have everything you want from it." She practically spat the last as if she were cursing him instead of wishing him well. "But we're done."

"Don't do this, Lavender," he pleaded. "Don't be hasty."

"I'm not being hasty," the blonde replied. "If I stay with you, there'll be nothing left of me, of who I am. Don't you see that? I've tried _so hard_ to be what you want, _who_ you want. But no more." She took a deep, shuddery breath and leaned in to press her lips against his.

Percy could taste the salt from her tears on his tongue, and it took everything he had not to cling at her, to pull her tight against him and never let her go.

When she pulled away, Lavender cupped his cheek and looked into his eyes. "I love you, Percy," she whispered, "but this is good-bye."

There was a finality to her words that resonated throughout the tiny flat, echoing off the shabby walls and across his consciousness. Even though he hadn't admitted it to himself, he'd made his decision the first time he'd taken Audrey out. And for all the famed Gryffindor courage and bravado, he had been too much of a coward to leave Lavender. In the end, she'd been the one to show true bravery by ending things.

It made him hate himself that much more.

Taking her hand, Percy pressed a soft kiss to the back before he let it drop back to her side. He smoothed his robes and rose from his spot on the bed, brown eyes soft as he looked down at her petite frame, curled into herself on the bed.

"For what it's worth, Lavender," he said, voice filled with regret, "I truly am sorry."


End file.
